those here. things like border security means something very different when it's right in your backyard. jose. >> morgan radford, thanks. >> that wraps up the hour for me. a quick programming note. white house senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator mitch landrieu and governor asa hutchinson joined kristen welker and peter alexander next on a special edition of "white house reports." thank you. ♪♪ and god tuesday morning. i'm kristen welker. welcome to a very special edition of "white house reports." i'm here with peter alexander. >> we tried it yesterday. will try it today. we're here at the post with the latest from our sources and major news-makers, and right at this moment the right is on a collision course with history. in less than ten hours president biden will deliver his first state of the union address with

what is a dramatic split screen. we're learning that he will discuss his efforts to combat inflation and to promote the improving economy at home but looming over all of it, of course, is the war in ukraine. >> a russian military armored convoy stretching dozens of miles is advancing towards ukraine's capital of kyiv, and the people in the ukranian capital are getting ready as we speak. >> they have no chance to get into our city and into our country, so that's why they should leave or they will be all dead. that's the simple reason. us or them. >> we'll be joined in a moment by our colleague richard engel on the ground there. it's not just the people. president volodymyr zelenskyy said they hit a missile square into the second largest city in kharkiv. he received a standing ovation after delivering a speech to the european parliament. he told the world his country

will not back down. powerful words, so much so that you can even hear the emotion in his translator's voice. >> we're fighting just for our land and for our freedom which where up to today no matter what it's going to be called, it's going to be called as of today freedom square in every city of our country. nobody is going to break us. we are strong. we are ukranians. >> just remarkable to hear that emotion. tonight you will hear from president biden as he addresses a worried world and names. the war has put an intense spotlight on the stakes and the global battle between democracy and autocracy. this hour we will interview white house senior adviser mitch landrieu. we'll ask about the message that we should expect to hear in the address tonight. we'll also speak with republican governor asa hutchinson of

arkansas, what folks in his party want to hear from the president tonight, and, peter, it goes without saying, the stakes could not be higher for this president, particularly as he delivers this address, not just against the backdrop of russia's invasion into ukraine but also his poll numbers which are sagging. >> exactly right. fewer than four in ten americans are satisfied with the way the president has handled his job and as jen psaki, the press secretary, told us here on "white house reports" just yesterday, the challenge for this white house right now isn't to add to the speech but to wittle it down and make the speech on the world stage and also some of the domestic priorities. >> you're absolutely right, and this is a speech that the world will be watching because of what is happening in ukraine. richard edge sell on the ground in the capital of kyiv and we want to bring in nbc's josh letterman in brussels at the european parliament. richard, we want to start with you. tell what is you're seeing and hearing on the ground. >> so there was just a large

strike in kyiv not long ago, and it targeted the television communications tower, and it has knocked some television services off air. the government says it will soon switch to a backup system. russia is also warning that it might strike an intelligence headquarters in this city and is specifically warning about that strike which is an unusual strike because the main brunt of the russian attack right now is against the city of kharkiv, and their witnesses are describing a far more indiscriminate campaign with rockets being fired at the city, human rights groups and ukranian officials accuse the russians of using cluster munitions which are banned against population centers, and the ukranian ambassador to the united states also accused russia of using a vacuum bomb, and a vacuum bomb is a very powerful weapon. it sucks up oxygen to create a

powerful explosion at a high temperature, and if used in a civilian area it could be considered a war crime. it was used against a military facility and killed 70 soldiers. a battlefield update right now, but i would say the main thing that people here in this city are worried about is that long 40-mile long military convoy that has been slowly making its way towards kyiv. it is a convoy that can only serve one person and that is to besiege and attack this city and people are prooepd preparing for it, digging in, setting up molotov cocktails and checkpoints and check out bomb shelters, or they are taking their families out of the city. >> it's clear, rich, when we woke up today, americans saw how graphic this war has become, yet worse than it has even been the last 72 hours that we've witnessed. it's clear that the motivation and the effort by the russians has sort of stepped up to an

even more devastating level. we'll lit break away. appreciate your reporting from on the ground in kyiv. we'll stick with our colleagues. josh letterman in brussels. josh, ukraine's president, you saw he gave that powerful emotional speech to the european parliament. it ended with a standing ovation. he pumped his fist to the room. it was a pretty remarkable moment there. what was his message to those european allies and particularly walk us through his response. >> well, peter, the president of ukraine started off his remarks by wishing good day to europe's parent and then saying, you know, it's not a good day for those in ukraine. for some of them it's their last day and that really set the tone for an impassioned speech by the ukranian leader that made clear the sense of urgency of this situation. zelenskyy appearing not in person but on a grainy video feed from a non-script location, the lone flag behind him. as he gets that standing ovation

in the room at european parliament here in brussels, where zelenskyy made the case that ukraine has proven itself over the last several days, proven that it is the equal of europe. take a listen to how zelenskyy described what ukraine is fighting for right now. >> we are fighting for our rights, for our freedoms, for our life, but we are fighting also to be equal members of europe. our belief that today we are showing everybody that's exactly what we mean. >> outside the european parliament here in brussels. you can see behind me they have taken down some of the normal eu florida, and they have put up ukranian flags alongside the eu flags here sending a clear

signal of support to ukraine and we just attended an impromptu rally that popped up here outside of parliament. there were hundreds of people standing there silently as the ukranian national anthem was played. the eu making it very clear that they want to show they support ukraine and will then stand up to this aggression from vladimir putin. >> josh, from the standing ovation to the flags behind you, it just underscores that there is really global support for pressuring vladimir putin to get out of ukraine, just incredible. i think it surprised putin himself. on that point can you actually have some fresh reporting for american officials telling you while there's no intelligence putin is mentally unstable, they say he's displayed a different pattern of behavior, including bursts of anger. we know he's increasingly ice laid, in part because of covid. what are you learning? >> that's right, chris ten. officials told us that western intelligence agencies have god visibility right now into putin

and are closely watching for any significant behavioral changes. just a second what appears erratic irrational decision-making by putin, u.s. officials say there's no intelligence that shows that putin is mentally unstable or is suffering any kind of significant physical ailment. what does concern our sources though is they believe putin is displaying a different pattern of behavior than they have seen in the past. for example, u.s. intelligence has learned that putin has exploded in anger at people in his inner circle expressing frustration over the state of the military campaign in ukraine and the worldwide condemnation of his actions. that's unusual, they say, because as a recall foreintelligence officer putin keeps his emotions usually in check. because of covid, putin has spent little time in the kremlin over the last two years and is not hearing from as wide a circle of people as he used to. one lesser diplomat told us putin appeared to be increasingly isolated and misinformed and, that quote, we don't believe he has a realistic understanding of what's going on.

taken together that's a pretty disturbing picture of a nuclear dark around dictator backed into a corner. his only option may be to double down on the violence and that is what appears to be happening. >> the long tables with him separated from his finance ministers and defense ministers demonstrates that divide and that increasing isolation for pete puel. josh, back to you. i want to play what the white house press secretary jen psaki told us here yesterday about a no-fly zone and the president's view of engaging ukraine. >> here's what's important for everybody to now, that would essentially mean the u.s. military would be shooting down planes, russian planes. that is definitely escalatory. that would potentially put us into a place where we're in a military conflict with russia. that is not something the

president wants to do. >> and not something the president will pursue. the uk prime minister bores johnson today said effectively the same, so after we heard from ukraine's leader, what is europe considering in terms of next steps to try to help ukraine beyond these sanctions? you also have some fresh reporting about concerns for the safety of americans in russia right now. >> well, the big question here in brussels today is whether the european union will quickly welcome ukraine as its newest member with zelenskyy signing the paperwork yesterday. that's a long process. it took poland a decade to get into the eu, but first step could come with the eu moving quickly to at least grant official candidate status to ukraine which would require a unanimous vote but would show clear eu support for ukraine, and as far as american citizens who are in russia right now, according to multiple u.s. officials who have spoken to nbc

news, the u.s. government very concerned right now that as putin grows more and more agitated as ken was just describing, that he may retaliate against the united states for these new sanctions by actually rounding up american citizens who are in russia and holding them essentially as pawns or hostages in this conflict. we're told that among the potential targets would be u.s. businessmen and women who are operate if russia if they comply with the new u.s. sanctions. that could put them at odds with the russian government and could potentially lead to some of them being taken hostage or being arrested by the russian government, peter. >> it's, josh, another chilling and disturbing data point and incredible reporting all around. thanks for starting us off, richard engel and ken delainian and josh letterman, thanks very much. we have lots more on the ground to cover this morning president biden less than ten hours from delivering his first state of the union address, so how should he talk about the crisis in ukraine, the domestic challenges

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we're back at the white house with this special edition of "white house reports." i'm peter alexander alongside kristen welker. our colleague ali vitarelli is at the white house. there he's focused on security. what do you have? >> reporter: yeah, guys, just a few minutes down the road from where you, are the preparations here are both physical and political in nature. on the physical front, this campus is once again fortified. that fencing, hundreds of national guard, all of those in preparation here as the capitol fortifies from a security perspective and then on the political fronts, of course, all of the things that the president is supposed to talk about here, of course, one eye on the international front and the other on the domestic agenda that he's supposed to lay out for his party in a mid-term year, the care economy, the economy overall as well as a way out of the pandemic. you'll notice tonight in the chamber viewers won't see lawmakers wearing masks.

instead, you'll see them with one seat in between them trying to space out a little bit. in order to be in the chambers, they do have to have a negative covid test. we have heard already from several lawmakers who have tested positive. i imagine we could hear from a few more, but all of those preparations under way as the president comes for his first state of the union. >> all right. thank you very much for that report. sorry, we weren't hearing you for just a moment. we thank you for the hearing and we'll be watching as the president travels up there later this evening. joining us now is mitch landrieu with the biden administration. he's the infrastructure implementation coordinator, financing way of saying you're in charge of making sure that the money gets to the right places, former mayor of the great city of new orleans. happy mardi gras to you. >> and happy mardi gras to everybody down in louisiana. >> you have a mardi gras color

coat on. >> there you go. it's a big night tonight. help us understand the stakes and how the president is thinking about this speech. he's obviously rewritten it to deal with it and address the crisis in ukraine but a lot of domestic challenges as well that he's going to talk about, including inflation, the implementation of the infrastructure law. how does he balance both the foreign policy message that he's going to have with the domestic? >> first of all, one of the reasons that people elected joe biden to be president was because of his extensive knowledge in foreign policy and we would have it on this terrible day you have a president who has been steeped in his knowledge and stemmedy as a rock for the country. i mean, he's leer of the free world, and he's demonstrated the ability to bring into our world the ability to beat back autocracy and this terrible unfolding of the events in ukraine. my expectation is he'll speak a lot about that tonight and battle between autocracy and democracy. >> will it be more heavily weighted towards foreign policy? would you go that far? >> three weeks ago there wasn't

going to be much about foreign policy as all and all of a sudden world events take over. that's one of the things presidents deal w.during the entire time the president has been rock solid in telling us to stay focused and keep your head down and do the work because you can't be strong abroad if you're not strong at home so there will be a heavy dose talking about domestic policy, not the least of which is how to rebuild the country through rebuilding the roads and bridges and the airports and giving us the tools that we need to compete in the 21st century. >> we'll get to the infrastructure at the moment. one more word on the moment. how concerned is this white house about the risk of vladimir putin trying to somehow undermine the president's message in realtime, that split screen, live pictures looking at kyiv even as the president is speaking tonight. >> whatever putin decides to do is fine. the president is going to do what he needs to do which is to lead the country and the world in the right direction and stand up to these authoritarian impulses so the president will speak in the tone that he needs to and give the message to the american people that we have to stay united when we have the

battle for the future, really the free world at stake. >> let's talk about his domestic message tonight, part of what he's going to talk about is the infrastructure law. his plans to repair some 65,000 miles of road, 1,500 bridges all across the country. i think a lot of people have heard a lot about the infrastructure law. what are they going to see the results? when are these projects going to be shovel ready? >> actually, i've been here for 107 days now and in the last 107 days weave pushed out $100 billion and in thes of funding. 90% of the funding has gone to mayors and governors who are rebuilding and are starting to work as we speak. the president will lay out pretty big commitments we need to do in this country and we need to do it together. this is about unifying the country, trying ways to lower costs and trying to understand that we'll make things in america again and rebuild our industrial build and do that through rebuilding the physical infrastructure in the country. >> just very quickly though the

reality is this is an election year. people want to see the results. they want to see those ribbons being cut in their communities, democrats do. when are they going to start to see that? >> they should start seeing them now. this money is getting pushed out as we speak. many of the projects were ready too, but as i have said many times it's a lot easier to tear down the bridge nan it is to build one so a lot of people know that we're building stuff and it takes time but that money is getting pushed out the door right now. we're working with governors and mayors every day to go as fast as we possibly can. >> you talk about governors. you're hearing from a lot of republican governors. just as soon as this was announced republican governors were pushing back saying we should be the ones who get to decide where the money going into our states go. you guys may want them to repair roads, they want to broaden roads and that creates more auto emissions and the like. why are they wrong in saying we should decide how the money is spent? >> i wasn't surprised to get those letters. the one thing we need to agree on is we need to build our

infrastructure which is a lot seeing that we have a difficult time agreeing what time of day it is. that doesn't surprise me this. bill has a lot of stuff in it for everybody. some of the money goes right to the governors and they will have a lot of latitude and some will be competition and people get to compete for it when they do the best. we have rules and regulations. we'll work with them. i would expect that not every state needs the same thing or wants everything and we'll be flexible and we'll work and the white house has previewed that we'll hear tonight is what you guys are calling a unity agenda from president biden. we know that there's going to be a progressive response to his speech tonight. congresswoman jayapal will be delivering that. josh gottheimer said something very interesting, quote, like keying your own car and then slashing the tires. does the president see that way? >> of course not. the president has got big shoulders and knows that america is a big temp and he invites incoming from all over the place. his mission has been to unite country and bring us together

even in the most difficult times. now one of the things that he will talk about tonight is how hard the last couple of years have been for the american people. i mean, it's just been a tough time and i think everybody knows, that and there's nobody that who has more empathy and understanding for that, but he'll call on the american people to be strong and resilient and to look forward because he always says it when americans are together there's nothing that we cannot do, and my expectization that you'll hear those words tonight. >> you'll be with him when he travels tomorrow to superior, wisconsin. >> superior and du lieutenant, where wisconsin and minnesota meet. >> you're not wearing a jacket today. >> i'll be wearing one tomorrow. >> what will the travel look like and how will the president takes the message on the road in the days and weeks ahead and you see the poll numbers. the poll numbers are pretty low. infrastructure is $1 trillion. you think he's accomplished a lot. what message has been missed? >> when covid is beating you to death literally and you have an international, you know, incident like we're having and it runs costs up, it can make everybody, you know, pretty

angry and put you in a bad mood, not withstanding that this president has done a spectacular job in the last year shepherd willing this country and we'll continue to tell the story. at some point in time it will begin to penetrate when you take a look at we've created 6 million jobs and had the largest growth in gdp and gotten an infrastructure bill passed and the american recovery plan. all of those are very steady things and the president, again, will lay out some of the things that we can do to lower costs for americans and increase competition and start making stuff in america tonight. >> mitch landrieu, thank you so much. >> thanks for having me. >> safe travels tomorrow. stay with us. we'll have more of "white house reports" coming after a quick break and we'll be joined by asa hutchinson. >> we'll be right back. d by asa hutchinson. >> we'll be right back stare out of the window... ...so that no one knows i'm secretly terrified inside. inner voice (sneaker shop owner): i'm using hand gestures and pointing... ...so no one can tell i'm unsure about my business finances. inner voice (furniture maker): i'm constantly nodding... ...because i know everything about furniture... ...but with the business side...

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♪cold beer on a friday night♪ ♪a pair of jeans that fit just right♪ ♪and the radio up well i've seen the sunrise...♪ get 5 boneless wings for $1 with any handcrafted burger. only at applebee's every business is on a journey. and along the ride, you'll find many challenges. ♪ your dell technologies advisor can help you find the right tech solutions. so you can stop at nothing for your customers. >> we're back with white house reports. i'm peter alexander alongside my colleague kristen welker of the right now it's primary day in texas. voters are headed to the polls to decide who will be on the ballots for the mid-term election this fall, and top of mind for many voters are several of the issues that we'll likely hear from president biden touching on tonight. >> including skyrocketing prices

and the lingering effects of the pandemic. nbc news anchor joshua johnson is in dallas. he's been speaking with small business owners about the challenges they are facing. josh, i'm so glad that you're doing this reporting. it's so important. what are you hearing from folks there? >> well, kristen, we're hearing different things from the business owners and many things you'll hear in the campaign ads. we're hearing the bishop arts district of dallas, one of the businesses we spoke to is a coke lat shop. the race for governor, greg abbott, the governor, the lieutenant governor and ken paxton, the attorney general, has faced an array of controversies and he wants to maintain his appeal with conservative voices, two big congressional races, eddie bernice johnson is retiring from congress, one of the more senior members of the congressional black caucus and first nurse in

congress and van taylor represents a district here near, one of four texans who voted to certify and did not get former president trump's endorsement. none of that was top of mind in the conversation we had with business owners. they were more concerned with things like tax relief, founding employees and immigration refor. the chocolate shop they spoke to couldn't get the kind of workers they needed because so many don't have legal status to come out of the shadows and take a regular job which there's lots of. we spoke to a lending business, mortgage lending business, things that all business owners are concerned about regardless of their politics. watch. >> people are concerned. they are concerned because their grocery bills are up. they are concerned because their gas bills are up. they are concerned because overall expenses are going up, and it doesn't matter what political party you're with. let's face it, we all have bill, and those bills don't go away.

>> reporter: these are some of the folks we'll be speaking to tonight. we'll be watching the state of the union with them over and nbc news now. found a cool spot, there's a pool table, will hang out and watch the spot and watch what the president will be doing rather than what he'll be saying during the address. kristen, peter. >> so interesting to hear from them. joshua johnson, thanks so much for your reporting. joining us now is governor asa hutchinson, republican from arkansas, chairman of the national governors association. governor, thanks so much for being here on a very big day. obviously the president has a lot to juggle in his speech, the crisis in ukraine, inflation, of course, covid. what are you hoping to hear from president biden tonight? >> well, it's a very important message, and it's really not not just a state of the union address. it's really a state of the world address and whether you're a governor or whether you're a mayor we're all following what's happening in ukraine and the

change in the world climate since -- within the last week with russia invading, and so he's got to address that. we're anxious to see the message of strength from the united states of america, more solutions, more support for ukraine, but also addressing the humanitarian crisis there and so that's on the minds of americans, and he has got to shift to be able to assure the public that we're doing all that we can as a nation to shore up freedom in that part of europe because this world has changed, and it's the first time we've heard the concern about nuclear weapons in a long, long time. >> governor hushinson, we want to ask you about that specifically. we've heard the republican criticism of the handling of ukraine, that it hadn't gone

enough. nato is more united than it has been in decades, exactly what vladimir putin is hoping to avoid, the ruble is tanking, what more should the u.s. be doing in terms of sanctions? >> well, first of all, you've got to speed the relief there whenever we're putting armaments in support of ukraine, let's get them there, the logistics challenge. let's move very quickly. secondly, i do think that you have to look at more support for poland in terms of a humanitarian crisis and as refugees come out of ukraine into poland, but what we need to see is resolve, and this is a time that we can come together and support the president. republicans, we have a difference in policy. we would like to have seen more aggressive action early on, the sanctions imposed more quickly and more strongly very early on, but notwithstanding that, this is an opportunity to unify the country more because we all are united behind the incredible

bravery that we see in ukraine. he has to spend time on the domestic issues. that's where there's more disagreements with the republicans, whether it's border security, crime issues and inflation. those have to be addressed but you start with the incredible change in our world environment, and it gives an opportunity for the president. >> governor, let me follow up with you on that point. we asked jen psaki on this show yesterday if the president would support enforcing a no-fly zone. she was very clear. she said no. do you think the u.s. should enforce a no-fly zone? this is something that president zelenskyy has called for? >> well, i have a number of experts in the defense fold, and there's concerns about a no-fly zone. that's the first thing you think about because we've enforced that whether it's in syria or iraq in different times in history, but whenever you look at the surface-to-air missiles

that could be launched from russia, you've got to take those out and that would put us in and engaging in russian territory. there are some reasons that you don't put into place immediately a no-fly zone, but i do believe that we have to get the support to them, and europe has to be able to support, so we're all looking for ways that we can give the ukranians the support quickly and in an emergency fashion if they need. i think one of the things that has been lost on putin, one of his goals was to keep ukraine out of nator. well, we've increase that had bond and i think there's a willingness to accelerate the movement of ukraine into nato. those are steps that the president to look. trump said putin was strong and savvy and clearly he's leader of the republican world. called him a genius.

do you condemn those words? >> putin is evil and he needs to be called such and anybody who does not call out putin for the person that he is and the atrocities that he's conducting, they -- they are not the leader of the party that i believe in in terms of ronald reagan's strength and, of course, he called russia the evil empire and let's call it as it is, and this is aggression that needs to stop, and i want all of our republican leaders to be united in that voice. >> governor, we are running tight on time so i want to just get to our final question which is about the republican response. we're going to hear from iowa's governor kim reynolds. what do you want to hear in the republican response? what does she need to say? >> first of all, just the fact that she is speaking really reflects middle america. it reflects the strength of our women leaders here in the united

states as governors, and it -- and it showcases what governors can do, so i would expect focusing on our freedom and how we've handled the pandemic, but also the emphasis on border security which i hope the president addresses tonight, so -- and the crime issue, so i would expect all of those things to be touched upon and showcasing what republican leadership means and the differences that it would reflect with the president and how we approach these issues. >> a lot of eyes on both of the speeches. governor asa hushinson, thanks so much for joining us today? >> good to be with you. >> president biden and his team have nine and a half hours until the stunion. how is it come along? what goes into the final draft, and who is weighing in? we'll talk to someone who knows what a process is like, pulls back the curtain for us. it's cody keenan, president obama's director of speech writing who joins us live. you're watching "white house reports" live on msnbc. reports" live on msnbc

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. mr. president, should americans be worried about north carolina -- about nuclear war? >> no. >> that's the president saying that americans should not near a nuclear war with russia. >> it's really about the challenge that the president faces heading into tonight as the world watches what's unfolding in ukraine. joining us now is someone who knows as well as anybody what it takes to craft a state of the union address. cody keenan, the former director of speech writing for president obama. we appreciate your expertise and your time this, movement let's get right to it. the president, as you know, has given this speech in an extraordinary time trying to balance these crises at home and abroad. how do you think he should walk that line? >> yeah, it's a challenge for sure. it's not something that a speech writer should fear. i think it's actually something that should energize a speech

writer. in a lot of ways the state of the union was made for something like this. it's not just a chance to talk about the news of the day and talk about where we are, show the american people a vision and what's at stake. people who will tune in who don't have time to watch cable news and watch the ins and outs of politics and it's really a blank slate to explain to people what exactly is going on and where you're going to take the country? >> if you're writing this, what do you want tomorrow's headline to read tomorrow when they wake up? what do you want the banner to say? >> they would be pretty happy if it says that biden offers path forward and pledges to fight like hell for the american people. part what have you want to do in the speech, too, is -- >> go ahead. >> no, no, cody, go ahead and finish. >> ukraine is obviously the biggest issue in the recalled would. domestically it's not everybody's number one issue. people are concerned about the economy and what not. it's also an election year so you have to offer a choice, energize democrat and offer them

a road map and give people some reason to go out and vote. >> you know better than anyone, cody, this is a months long project and it really comes down to the final days and minutes when you were here. you worked with former president obama until the last moments until he actually went to capitol hill to deliver the address. what are the last moments inside the white house looking like? >> you remember my general demeanor. it's a lot like driving a car 200 miles an hour with no doors or windows. it's a real challenge. i spoke with the president's speech writer last night. they are still working on it. in a lot of ways i think kind of having a major international story is helpful for this process because it's something that hundreds of people are involved in. people used to stake out the bathrooms trying to catch us out of the bathrooms trying to insert a line in the speech. this is about what matters for ukraine and the world and the country.

that's really helpful for the country. >> right now the president is dealing with sagging approval numbers. less than four in ten approve of his handling of the economy and the country. the challenge some say is simply, not simple police, but is one of messaging. how do you pivot? how do you change that messaging and get heard? >> one speech doesn't do it, you know. but it can offer a blueprint for the administration and the country for the rest of the year. i mean, this country has been through a trauma, beyond all the fighting about masks and what not. we have to remember that a million americans have died and 300 million of us have experienced it all in our different ways. my wife and i have an unvaccinated 1-year-old which makes life pretty miserable. we know what's happening to the price of milk and gas because we're buying it. you can trumpet the true facts that the economy grew at its fastest pace and created more jobs than any other president under one year. all of that is true and he

should trumpet that and should offer people a path forward telling poem where they are going from here. you can't convince americans that their economic reality is different than it is but you can show people that you have poll statehouse will make a difference fanned half the chamber is going stand in the way you're going call them out ton. >> morning after morning, day after day we've seen the ukranian president volodymyr zelenskyy deliver what seems to be impromptu speeches, again today, earlier to the european parliament, another really moving speech. i want to play you a little bit of it and just get your reaction on the other side. >> so do prove that you are with us. do prove that you will not let us -- do prove that you are indeed european and then life will win over death. >> code de, what do you make of his speeches? is he meeting the moment right

now with them? >> yeah. sometimes the world just gets lucky with the right leaders at the right times, know, and i've just been watching him in awe like a lot of other people. when you compare the images that he's been putting forward this week with the images of vladimir putin sitting by himself at the end of the long table you can see who the big man is and the small man is and it's really just extraordinary. >> cody keenan, appreciate you throwing a tie on early this morning. nice to see you, as always. appreciate your expertise, bud. >> great to see you, cody. >> cody's book by the way called grace, president obama and ten days for the battle for america." comes out this fall. cody was always a good asset to set up size what we should still expect from poebd mah. >> and peter and i have more on

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we are back here at the white house and just learned president biden is planning to use part of his state of the union address to highlight his supreme court pick, ketanji brown jackson. >> we're told he's going to underscore similarities to the man she would replace, justice stephen breyer, for whom she once served as a law clerk and joinish us is the new washington correspondent. she's finally on our team and we're grateful for that. >> welcome. great to see you. so, help us break this all down. we know judge jackson's not expected to attend a state of the union tonight. who's his audience and what do you expect his message to be? >> it's great to be with you. i love being on team msnbc now. when you think about what the president is going to do

tonight, president biden in talking about the qualification of judge jackson, is going to talk to senators who have an opportunity to both vote for her possible nomination in the judiciary committee and when she reaches the larger floor, she is someone who's lad bipartisan conformation in the senate before and they're hoping that will happen again. president biden will also be talking to the american public. if she becomes justice jackson, she'll have the potential to impact american's lives and to have her opinions be read by large numbers of americans. here's president biden wanting to introduce her again to the american people. let's remember that republicans in particular have been accusing judge jackson of being a radical. there are also people who criticized president biden for being very clear he wanted to nominate an african-american woman, calling it discriminatory. here's his chance to defend his choice and say why this judge in particular has the qual aifications to sit on the supreme court.

talking about the fact she's a harvard law graduate, a federal appeals court judge. and also talking about her values as a mother, as someone who has understood the criminal justice system for long time. it's going to be a very interesting part of the speech to watch and the white house is hoping possibly to change hearts and minds when it comes to trying to get her through the senate with a bipartisan conformation. >> we're so glad you're part of the team. we're told ketanji brown jackson will not be in the chamber tonight and as you know as we do, the president's challenge is to talk about domestic agenda. we're told he is going to speak about the build back better agenda but not under that umbrella. the parts, including trying to lower prescription drug costs, all of which we'll be watching. >> we'll be watching to see how he balances foreign policy and domestic policy and inflation on everyone's minds. that does it for this very busy hour.

appreciate your joining us. >> be sure to stick with msnbc for state of the union coverage all day. special coverage with rachel maddow and joy reed starts tonight at 8:00 p.m. eastern. >> we'll be back with white house reports. but first andrea mitchell will talk to house speaker, nancy pelosi, when "andrea mitchell. pelosi, when "andrea mitchell.

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and good day. this is "andrea mitchell reports" in washington. as the western world rallies behind president zelensky, after his stirring speech from a bunker, pleading for membership to the eu parliament. he was met with a rousing applause and a sta